March 31, 1995
12:00 AM (EST)

News Release Number: STScI-1995-18

Hubble Tracks Jupiter Storms

March 31, 1995: The Hubble telescope is following dramatic and rapid changes in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere that will be critical for planning observations for the Galileo space probe when it arrives at the giant planet later this year.

This Hubble image provides a detailed look at a unique cluster of three white, oval-shaped storms that lie southwest [below and to the left] of Jupiter's Great Red Spot [dark oval-shaped object near the picture's right edge]. The appearance of the clouds is considerably different from their appearance only seven months earlier. Hubble shows these features moving closer together as the Great Red Spot is carried westward by the prevailing winds, while the white ovals are swept eastward.